What is a Canvas? Exploration Activity

By Paula Briggs

At the newly reformed AccessArt ArtLab held at Wysing Arts Centre for ages 11, 12 and 13, this term we have been exploring the question:

“What is a Canvas”

I wanted to give the children the opportunity to question the surface they paint on, and to explore how the personality of “canvas” can affect the artwork. I wanted to try to get the children to think about the meaning of the word canvas in its most lateral sense.

To Begin

We began this week’s session with a simple exercise to help us begin to question the surface we draw or paint upon, and to start to understand how the character or bnature of the given surface can impact upon the marks we make.

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